Last weekend, Kathryn and I decided to take a break from our usual summer routine of doing absolutely nothing in the sweltering Phoenix heat. Instead, we made a day trip to the slightly cooler Payson area to do some hiking along Horton Creek, just under the Mogollon Rim in Tonto National Forest. Continue reading Hiking along Horton Creek Trail

Another road trip to Las Vegas gets underway in just a few hours. We’re going to try some new places to eat this weekend, and we’ll return to some old favorites too. As always, you’ll find updates and maybe even a few photos here.

I’ve never been on a commercial flight that’s had to make a go-around, so it was fun to watch a Southwest flight do one at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport a few minutes ago. I’m sure it was a lot less fun for those aboard. Continue reading Southwest go-around

I managed to get out of bed this morning in time for an early hike before work. It’s one of those few beautiful weeks we see every spring in Phoenix. The sun is up early enough to start a hike at 5:30 am, but it’s not too hot outside. Today was gorgeous. There was no discernible wind, and yet the air was clear. The brown cloud that normally covers the city during the week was nowhere to be seen.

Not a lot of words in this blog post. Just some photos from a recent hike at Shaw Butte. The hike was later in the morning than usual. The sun was bright, which put me in a black-and-white mood. Continue reading More photos from Shaw Butte

During a hike last weekend at Shaw Butte, I pointed my camera south and took a picture of downtown Phoenix under a thick layer of smog. I converted the photo to black-and-white to bring out the detail of the buildings. Continue reading Smog cloud over Phoenix

What’s the opposite of a travel photo? A photo you take while sitting at home in front of your computer. I captured this sunrise over Phoenix this morning by rotating my swivel chair 90 degrees to the right. Continue reading The opposite of a travel photo

I wrote off any chance of getting out for a hike in the early morning today because I had a 9 am meeting scheduled with my team lead. So what did I find when I arrived at work? An e-mail from the team lead telling me he’ll be out sick today. It was a perfect 73 degrees this morning. An opportunity wasted.

This summer was one of the hottest on record in Phoenix. When enduring the scorching heat of June, July, August, and even into early September in the Valley of the Sun, it can be easy to forget what’s here to enjoy the rest of the year. Fortunately, mid-September rolls around every year and reminds us we have eight to nine months of nearly endless outdoor possibilities in front of us. Continue reading Favorite Phoenix urban hikes: The Loop at Shaw Butte

Usually when I talk or write about St. Mary’s Basilica, I’m referring to the beautiful Spanish mission style Catholic church in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. I received confirmation there. My wife and I were married there, and we remain parishioners there. It’s quite special to both of us. Continue reading St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow

Our adventure has started rather eventfully. We took off from Phoenix this morning right on schedule, and now we’re safely back on the ground … in Phoenix. The aircraft had a mechanical problem shortly after takeoff, and we had to return to land, but only after circling for almost an hour to burn fuel. We’re not sure what happens next.

I spent last weekend in Pasadena, visiting the same buddy I saw in August. I’ve spent the time since then sobering up.

When my friend and I started planning this trip a few weeks ago, I reserved one of my club airplanes, intending to fly out there. I was looking forward to getting some good cross-country experience, and flying into the crowded Southern California airspace was a challenge I felt I was ready for. However, the week before the trip, the weather forecast started to deteriorate, and by Wednesday, I decided just to abandon plans to fly and simply drive there instead.Continue reading Drinking in Pasadena, redux

I haven’t written much about flying recently, mostly because I hadn’t been flying in over seven months before this weekend. However, I do have a bit of news to report on the aviation front. Continue reading Aviation news

I had hoped to post some follow-up on my travels, but I came home from Europe with a nasty cold, so I’ve spent most of my time catching up on sleep. In some sense, I was lucky that I didn’t get sick until the last day of my trip. Usually I can count on a few down days during such a long trip. Continue reading Delay in follow-up

At last, my voyage is underway. A friend had breakfast with me, and then she gave me a ride to the airport. For a while, I wasn’t sure I was going to get out of Phoenix. When I checked in at the airport, I was given a boarding pass to clear security, but with no seat assignment because the flight was oversold. I was biting my nails until a few minutes before the flight departed, when I finally got a new boarding pass. After a very rough flight, I’m now in Minneapolis, sitting in the plane waiting for our gate to be free, wondering if I’ll make my connection. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

I took a day trip today to Nogales, a city that straddles the Arizona-Mexico border, and I went on the other side of the fence for a couple hours to have a look around. I’ll follow up about the trip when I’m not so tired. For now, take care!